BotF is not a regular patron of the Fast Ferry. An 18 minute trip does not suit a 3 unit pacing that well, and we’ve not tested the BYO rules yet. That said, the few times BotF has done the Fast Ferry, the overwhelming impression is good. They’ve raised the bar on service in many ways and the competition in turn has caused the public operators to lift their game.
Despite doing what is regarded as a sterling job after stepping into the breach in February when the government canned the JetCats, the operators of the Fast Ferry have lost a tender for the ongoing service and Seaflight Ferry Services will take over from 1 April 2010.
This has all the makings of a 4 corners episode. According to the Australian, Seaflight Ferry Services, is not listed in the phone book and I can’t find them on Google. It will be interesting to see what track record Seaflight has in running a ferry service and what improvements are made to the current service.
There is the usual political posturing when a decision like this is announced, but one can’t think Mike Baird might be on the money when he said that Manly Fast Ferry lost out because they made the public service look bad. Looking forward to the minister’s explanation on all of this.
back of the ferry 